The Edmonton Oilers went from the penthouse to the outhouse in eastern Canada over the weekend. Winning in Toronto represents this team’s ceiling, and last night in Montreal was surely the floor. When the Oilers are not sharp, there’s miles of things to criticize. From the top of the roster to the bottom, the Oilers delivered a mistake-filled game that was frustrating to watch.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN DECEMBER
- At home to: Wild, Kraken, Jets (Expected 2-1-0) 2-1-0
- At home to: Sabres, Red Wings (Expected 1-0-1) 1-0-1
- On the road to: TML, Canadiens, Penguins (Expected 2-1-0) 1-1-0
- On the road to: Bruins, Wild (Expected 1-1-0)
- At home to: VEG, Flames (Expected 1-0-1)
- On the road to: Flames, Jets (Expected 1-0-1)
- At home to: Bruins (Expected 1-0-0)
- Expected Record: 9-3-3, 21 points in 15 games
- Actual Record: 4-2-1, nine points in seven games
- Season Record: 15-12-6, 36 points in 33 games
The club is on track with my predicted start to December, but I have them going 5-1-2 over the rest of the month and that’s a big ask. We’ll see. This morning, I’m wondering how many starts Calvin Pickard receives, but his teammates didn’t help much last night so we’ll see.
- Nuge-McDavid-Hyman 8:45, 5-5 shots, 56X, 1-2 HDSC
- Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Savoie 8:11, 4-4 shots, 53X, 3-2 HDSC
- Frederic-Henrique-Janmark 7:06, 2-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 82X, 5-3 HDSC
- Draisaitl-McDavid-Hyman 4:51, 0-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 0X
- Jones-Lazar-Mangiapane 4:09, 0-2 shots, 4X
The line of Glimmer Twins with Zach Hyman had no magic, and that’s one of the stories this season. The two top lines performed well enough but couldn’t cash. Connor McDavid made a poor pass on the second GA, and Hyman scored a late PP goal. I like the Draisaitl line, seems they’re finding their way now. The third line played well enough but doesn’t ever score. Max Jones played, that may a tell about David Tomasek’s future.
- Ekholm-Bouchard 15:54, 7-8 shots, 0-1 goals, 51X, 3-3 HDSC
- Nurse-Regula 12:10, 5-9 shots, 0-1 goals, 35X, 1-2 HDSC
- Stastney-Emberson 10:43, 2-2 shots, 80X, 31 HDSC
- Calvin Pickard 23 of 27, .852, 7 of 8 HDSC
For me the story of the game was five-on-five, Oilers losing 2-0 and Pickard allowing two goals deemed less than HD. It wasn’t like the penalty kill was any screaming hell but I’ve always believed if the Oilers win the five-on-five, they’ll win the game. Maybe they left their legs back in Toronton. Who knows?
If this game arrived one year ago, I’d probably be able to build up a lather about it. However, considering the circumstances (trade bringing in two new players) it’s possible the team was on adrenalin in Toronto and out of gas in Montreal. How can you get to the net when your wheels won’t turn?
I do think the five-on-five offense is a big issue, specifically outside the top two lines. It’s Death Valley Days out there. In pts-60, McDavid (2.44) and Draisaitl (2.31) lead the way, and there are some productive wingers (Jack Roslovic 2.04, Vasily Podkolzin 1.93, Nuge 1.91, Hyman 1.89) but man o man there are some ugly numbers from some forwards.
Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic need to regress like Frank Sinatra after From Here to Eternity and right soon! That’s the lesson for today. Veterans need to impact that game, or call up the kids. Stan Bowman has a mifful of Condors who are flattening the AHL right now. It’s not like the third and fourth lines are outscoring opponents. They are getting buried!
On the Lowdown today, we’ll talk Oilers, Condors, Jays (!!) and of course the massive NFL weekend that saw the death of a dynasty. Maybe. Jason Gregor will be my feature guest at 1:20. We’re on noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 and You Tube.
How Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin is finally delivering on NHL Draft day promise
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6888395/2025/12/15/oilers-vasily-podkolzin-stats-profile-highlights/
LMHF#1 mentioned Charlie Coyle or Pavel Zacha as good targets for 3C. I’ve liked both players for a long while. Got me thinking about other players who’d fill a need and may be realistic targets.
Interesting options include: Jaeden Schwartz, Mason Marchment, Alex Tuch, Alex Lyon, Erik Haula, William Carrier, Frederik Andersen, Jordan Staal, Kevin Hayes, Evgeni Malkin (dare to dream), Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner, Zack Ostapchuk, Alex Nedeljkovic,
My preferred 3C target is Jordan Staal with an honourable mention to Boone Jenner.
I’ll take Kadri
Slow. Old. Expensive. Signed until the next ice age.
Then there’s his penchant for taking bad penalties at the worst moments, and his (well earned) reputation with the refs.
Pass.
True. A lot of the guys mentioned are slow as well. I’m not sure defensive grinders will mesh with the Oilers. If anybody can as it seems this season. I think they need faster players that play both ways.
Ya. I’d shop in a different isle.
Cole sillenger, Noah cates. Or similar. We’ve been down the Henrique road too many times.
We may have the players we’re looking for on the farm. I hope we find out before wasting assets.
Garland – Marchment – Jenner, in that order. Oilers need better bottom 6 players.
while getting a bit nastier.
Had a rare chance to listen to AM radio today, caught part of Gregor’s show and he mentioned Roslovic is out due to testicle surgery from a blocked shot.
That’s nuts
I’m liking your comment for the info only, not for the actual injury! Can’t imagine what he’s been going through. Hopefully he’ll be ok.
Henrique, Frederic, and Mangiapane would be my pick to finish 32/32 of 3rd lines in the league in 5v5 goals scored. There is no offence there. The Belanger triangle might be more potent offensively.
I think some of you folks are misremembering the Decade of Darkness.
I understand the need for the vets to play a lot better. I also understand the desire to see what the kids can do in the NHL.
The Oilers can’t afford to just sit the actual NHL players and play the kids en masse. How many rookies would you like to see play at the same time? The entire bottom six?
Despite their poor play, Henrique, Janmark, Mangiapane, Frederic et al are still NHL calibre players. I’m fine with getting some of the AHLers time in the show and hopefully providing some energy in the lower part of the lineup, but we should try to remember what it was like having half of the roster with less than a full season of NHL experience.
I’m remembering and my goodness this is a great reminder.
I also remember two 21 year-olds and a 19 year-old making up a very effective Kid Line.
I wore an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time.
The Cup wins were so much fun especially the first one. The City was so electric and being able to go to games with family and friends will have me cherishing those memories until I expire.
Trent Frederic is currently worse than at least 4 players not playing who are available.
That’s not counting injured guys.
I get your overall point – but he’s not contributing anything.
Mangiapane might be even worse since he doesn’t have the lingering injury excuse.
He scored on his first 2 shots on goal of the season and has been a non entity for the rest of the season.
He continues to accrue 1 SOG/G and hasn’t scored in the past 20 games since November 3rd.
He however does lead the team in one stat…he’s a well earned -15 on the season besting Frederic’s -9
Magpie a big disappointment. Has Tambo free agent written all over it. And like a fool I was pleased at the news based on vague memories a half decade out of date. Like to think I know better by now.
Me too – I saw him good during that one season he had with the Falmes and cheered his arrival.
I’m a bit busy reading MRIs and genetic reports, but correct me if I’m out to lunch, the Oilers do employ NHL scouts and analytics people, right? If so, maybe Bowman should consult with them before overpaying for 4th liners, nevermind giving them NMCs. And if those scouts/analytics people thought it was a good idea, then it may be time to hire some new personnel.
My goodness, the godless Falmes of the DoD!
Not too much talk about Jarmoe these days…unless we’re talking about the Buffalo Sabres’ front office, I guess.
10 and 88 are playing leading roles on the worst bottom 6 in hockey right now.
There’s at least 4 Bake players that would be no worse, likely better and at least they have growth potential
Podkolzin/Frederic should be a PK tandem, Frederic needs to be given more responsibility in the game plan then just being an energy bottom 6 winger 5 on 5.
Henrique is on PP2 and the PK, with dead legs.
Podkolzin is getting more PK which he should.
Janmark is getting PK reps
Savoie PK reps and PP2.
Nuge every aspect.
Lazar PK reps
Mangiapane PP2 reps
Yes PP2 reps don’t mean much, but it’s something, I’d even suggest Frederic if not Podkolzin should be the net presence on PP2. Savoie/Henrique/Mangiapane is not going to do much of anything ever as a PP group.
Guys need roles, helps with their confidence, and buy in. If people are saying Frederic isn’t buying in, I’d suggest he may feel the coaches aren’t helping with that. A PK role should help, he’s good on the draw, good defensively, make it work.
Fredric on the pk must be one of the worst possible player deployments of all time
When you give a man a 8 year deal the last thing you need is tough love. K.K explored a few alternatives before he fed Frederic to the beast Olivier which if that was me I would be pissed. There is room for a future productive Federic let the man gain traction and his confidence back try to put him in a identity role like you are suggesting.
They need to do something to spark him, whether that’s pressbox or finding some sort of role. At this point I’m at the poking it with a stick and saying “do something” stage.
I will say net front on the PP is maybe not a good plan if he’s still got a bum ankle.
Honestly, maybe what the guy needs is a month off to sit on a beach and do some yoga/stretches. He’s just not there.
Freddy has never been a strong faceoff guy. But he doesn’t need to take draws to be dependable on the PK. He is dependable defensively so why not?
is he tho? dependable? honest question as i haven’t been able to tune in much this season and I tend to let my betters sift the databases for the real dope.
I agree DL. Players need roles. It’s difficult to sit on the bench for 6-8 minutes then ramp it up.
Also giving pp2 the last 20-30 seconds essentially is like having a 1:30 pp because it takes 20 seconds to get set up again.
If pp1 changed at around a minute then pp2 then run pp1 back out for the last bit you stretch the pp out.
Could run 2 d out for the last bit.
He is way to slow and agility is no where good enough to PK. Pk is bad enough as it is
How did he pass a physical?
Stan and that new GM in Buffalo have made a few blockbuster trades in the past.. Tuch dream is alive and well.
Very true, though if I’m remembering things correctly, Bowman mostly got fleeced on the deals he made with Jarmo.
What were some of the deals between the two?
Key Trades
July 2021: Seth Jones Trade
To Chicago: Defenseman Seth Jones, 2021 #32 overall pick, 2022 6th-round pick.
To Columbus: Defenseman Adam Boqvist, 2021 #12 overall pick, 2021 2nd-round pick, 2022 conditional 1st-round pick.
Impact: Chicago signed Jones to a major extension to anchor their defense; Columbus received prospects and picks to rebuild.
June 2017: Artemi Panarin Trade
To Columbus: Forward Brandon Saad, goalie Anton Forsberg, 2018 5th-round pick.
To Chicago: Forward Artemi Panarin, forward Tyler Motte, 2017 6th-round pick.
Impact: Chicago brought back Saad, a former Cup winner, aiming for playoff success, while Panarin became a star in Columbus.
Thanks.
Bowman seems to be finding players, so as long as he does not make another Frederic mega blunder, I am will to cut him a bit of slack.
Be bold. Put Hutson with Draisaitl. Move Savoie down to the 3rd line. If Hutson cannot handle it or looks out of place, switch the two back.
If the third line is Henrique and Mag then sure why not.
But they need to stop Henrique and Fred
Why bother moving Savoie down?
I’d be fine with this.
No chance the coach does this.
How I would run lines for penguins:
Nuge-mcd-Hyman
Podz-Drai-Savoie
Mag-Henrique-Hutson
Fred-lazar-Janmark or tomasek
They need to stop playing Henrique and Fredrick and mangianpane together.
Henrique and mag are good together (61% expected goals)
Fredrick with either of them is either 26-39% expected goals.
Fredrick has decent stats with lazar.
Then for d I would do
Nurse-Bouch (they have real good stats together)
Ek-emberson (really good stats small sample)
Statsny-Regula (Walman here when healthy)
Love these lines and pairings
Thanks was just playing around with Natural Stat Trick.
I dont know how Fredrick and Henrique or Fred and Mag or the three have gotten so many minutes.
By all stats Fred doesnt work with those two.
I like that you’ve given Hutson a look
Tap and that we still have Walkman and Roslovich stashed
Yeah I dont see the point of him being fourth line. We brought him because the bottom 6 cant score at least give him a look. Roslavic will help then you can either bump savoie or try Nuge to run a third line
People are using the injury excuse for Fredric but I don’t agree.
It would be a viable excuse if he was arriving late to the play because of injury/skating issues but Fredrick is not even making an effort to get into the play.
I’ve never been more disappointed by a players lack of hustle and heart. Bowman is continuing the Oilers strategy of getting players on the way down (or completely washed in some cases) instead of getting players on the way up.
Also we’re talking about 3 and 4 liners not top line players. The fact that the past 3 Oiler gm’s couldn’t find bottom roster players is just inexcusable.
Lack of hustle and heart sums up the Frederic experience so far very well. But that’s a problem league wide with a lot of these established vet wingers, like Frederic and Mangiapane. Once they get paid, they lose the drive to battle night in and night out when they get shuffled down the lineup into the bottom 6.
A players drive and motivation to be their very best after cashing in is basically impossible to suss out from a distance. Occasionally, you get a guy like Glencross, but all too often you end up with a Frederic.
The injury that stops a guy from moving at full speed isn’t an excuse cause it doesn’t look like he’s trying to go fast.
Okay then.
If you are seeing him making an effort than you’re one of the very few. Also he must have the worst ankle sprain of all time if its affecting him this much after this much time. And if that’s the case it just makes the contract and trade that much more indefensible.
If he’s really that injured, then he should be on LTIR; rest and rehab are the only things that will lead to recovery.
Frederic is a detriment to his team’s ability to win. He’s had long enough to see if he can get himself back up to game speed in this manner … he can’t.
The Oilers have good young players like Hutson, Howard, Samanski and Jarventie that have earned a look, but are blocked by Frederic and his bloated contract (along with Mangiapane). This Poulin fella also has performed well in the AHL and bring size and some assertiveness to go to the net.
There are no excuses in professional sports – you can either perform to the level required that contributes to team success … or you can’t … and then someone else takes your job, and before you know it, you’re out of the league.
Almost no established NHL players lack heart or mail it in. It’s a meme
It’s hard enough to get through the day as a normal human with a bum anything hips down. Imagine NHL hockey. If it’s that when others are healthy fix the guy up. Better for all
I beg to differ.
Exhibit A – Nail Yakupov
Not to me. First of all I said established players – players with a lack of give a crap don’t – second of all his issues weren’t a lack of, but misdirection of
Apropos of absolutely nothing, I took a gander at naturalstattrick to see the Oilers are 7th in xgf% for the month of December. Their December total would put them 5th overall on the season (in which they slot in at 16th).
The first 20 games of the season looked dire by the metrics, but methinks the team may once again be an analytics-evalutated contender by the end of the season.
Im pretty happy i chose the sunday game over saturday. Yup.
With all the youth on the farm excelling, why call up Jones? From all the excellent reports shared by our host and knowledgeable posters, I can’t recall seeing anything glowing about this player that would warrant a trip North.
I see they actually did call up Hutson today – that seems right.
I’d say for the same reason they called up Clattenberg. They want somebody who will throw hits and punches. Jones played 5:39 and lead the team with 4 hits. Clattenberg averaged just 7:12 while throwing 17 hits in 5 games or 3.4/game.
The Oilers are third best in goals for per game but sixth worst in goals against so the young guys scoring isn’t perceived to fill the needs of the team the way it might somewhere else. I’d be curious to know who Jones and Clattenberg were out against and who they were supposed to hit.
If Clattenburg is out for awhile come on down Poulin. I would love to see a Clattenburg-Frederic-Poulin line. Poulin and Clattenburg have the wheels opening up ice for Frederic.
33 games and Oiler fans know why Mangi was a 4th line / healthy scratch player for the Caps.
Lack of heart and hustle. Living off the reputation of one unsustainable season, he managed to sucker another fanbase into thinking he’s any better than five other guys in the AHL that every team has who never get the same kind of opportunity.
They really need to start limiting time for top pp unit. I believe Mcdavid was out when the 2 Habs penalties occurred. Then he stays on the ice for the entire 2 min pp. gonna be hard to get anyone going if you don’t give them a chance at some pp time
This is very true. When we look at players and their numbers elsewhere vs on the Oilers, we see much lower overall scoring because we play the same 5 players for the whole PP.
Jeff Skinner score 16 EVG in 74G his last year with Buffalo and 16 EVG in 72G with Edmonton. The difference is the 8PP goals in Buffalo put him at 24 Goals total which would have been excellent for a 3M second-liner but 16 Goals is perceived as lacking.
“From the top of the roster to the bottom, the Oilers delivered a mistake-filled game that was frustrating to watch.”
Please god, do not lay even an iota of blame on the goaltender.
As I keep chanting here & elsewhere, “goaltending is not the issue” with this club. Leadership (willing to play defensively responsible) is the issue. When the team leaders bail on their primary responsibility (McD, Drai, Bouchard), everyone feels like it’s fair play to cheat, and the goalies get left taking the blame.
No goalie stat from last night (or from the first 20+ games) describes what’s happening for this team. But fans and pundits will point to SV% or subsets thereof, even GAxGA, as “proof” that goaltending is “the issue.”
I am very disappointed in SB for cratering to the “easy” but chimerical “solution.” Last night I was equally disappointed that on-ice leaders can’t be bothered to support a goalie they say they like.
With friends like these… you get skapegoated and traded away.
Ugh.
ps. I suggest there is at least as much “voodoo” at work in the play of Oilers on-ice leadership as there is in the crease. Maybe more.
Nobody is beyond reproach in the after action review of last night’s result. Pickard did well enough given the circumstances but that doesn’t mean he didn’t let in goals you’d like/expect to see stopped. LT was spot on when he said, “For me the story of the game was five-on-five, Oilers losing 2-0 and Pickard allowing two goals deemed less than HD.”
If you don’t like LT’s player evaluation, or Gord forbid the tone he takes on his own blog, perhaps you should start your own.
Credit where due – he stopped 4 or 5 clear breakaways.
That’s kinda Pickard’s pattern – makes acrobatic saves and then lets in goals you think he should stop.
He and Stu both have technical issues. Which is why one was out of the NHL for a few years until Oilers, and the other at 26 hasn’t firmly won a net
It was a terrible effort from most of the skaters really. Pickard was hung out to dry.
BUT we have needed better tending for 3 years at least, it is all linked indeed yet we have not focused on the tending properly and have brushed it under the rug. Holland tried with Campbell but it failed then back to brushing it under the rug starting a backup rookie tender and keeping him the starter with a journeyman backup. This is a failure in itself.
It is not all on the tenders because they were placed in a heavier weight class than what was fair to them. We have definitely had a goalie issue for a few years now though.
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
Buffalo is making a GM change
Jarmo Kekalainen for Kevyn Adams
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
And just in case there is any doubt…this is not an interim move.
Kekalainen is the full-time GM
At least Columbus made the playoffs a few times while Kekalainen was GM, something Buffalo hasn’t done in over a decade, but his middling performance as GM doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence that things are going to get a lot better in Buffalo anytime soon.
The Sabres will always have a soft spot in my heart because they are the only organization that is somehow more incompetent than the Oilers.
But I’m not a huge fan of how their niche seems to be a farm team who ships out good players to teams who shortly win the cup after receiving them.
He passed on Jesse which was in turn cost us probably Sergachev-Dubois-Tkachuk. This guy is a jerk in my books.
The Oilers scouts were reported to fancy Sergachev at the time. Someone higher up called an audible when Jarmo passed on Jesse.
Pujulaarvi was widely seen as the third best player in that draft. He was MVP at the world junior championships as a 17 year old and was seen as an equal to Laine by a lot of scouts.
Scouts who did no due diligence other than watching their TV. I don’t think Sweatpants Chiapet did any due diligence. Judging by him looking greasy with a few choice F bombs on national TV post pick
Wasn’t there a rumour of Nurse and Leon to Montreal in that draft as well?
if memory serves, the rumour was Montreal was asking for Nurse, Leon and the 4th overall pick for PK Subban. Neither Leon or Nurse were established in the league at the time, and Subban had recently won a Norris.
Probably the best trade that the Oilers never made, despite Jesse becoming a bust and Nurse becoming one of the most overpaid players in the league, the other prospect in that deal turned out pretty good.
Subban of course was eventually traded for a future HOFer, on the same day that Hall was traded 1 for 1.
That’s right how could I forget.
To my recollection, it was one of either Klefbom or Nurse (plus Draisaitl), and the 4th and 9th picks were swapped in the proposed Subban deal.
So it would have looked like Klef/Nurse+Draisaitl+JP for Subban+Sergachev.
When Jarmo took PLD instead of JP, the deal was dead and ChiaPete sprinted to the podium to draft the Bison King.
Neither outcome rings as consolation for staggeringly bad asset assessment/management. I wanted Turtle at the time, or PLD, as either fit a glaring need that neither alternative appeared likely to solve.
If Chia had made that trade, it would have been the worst trade in modern Oilers history (which, you have to hand it to Chia, is really saying something). Instead it was simply one of the worst draft misses (which is, again, really saying something). When it rains, it pours.
With things stacking up as they are, 3C is what they should be acquiring.
Thompson is who I’d chase, but I don’t think even with some very bold actions that it could work for this year.
I wonder what it would take to get Zacha out of Boston. The man who Chiarelli should’ve demanded in addition to Larsson in the Hall deal would still be a good fit.
And Pageau out of NYI – but the Islanders won’t drop him unless they fall back.
Coyle from Columbus maybe.
They need Nuge at 3C but he’s also needed on McDavid’s line.
I would suggest Thompson would be way too expensive on the cap and acquisition cost – he’s one of the best goal scorers in the league.
ROR is the clear target, role, acquisition cost, contract, no?
ROR is the guy for sure – its going to take one of our top forward prospects (Hutson or Howard), the 2027 first, and we’d have to send a sizeable contract back (Mangiapane/Henrique/Frederic).
Gotta think Nashville will get better offers … but Bowman should be talking to Trotz regardless.
frederic, hutson, 1st.
byebye freddi.
Why would we want to spend assets to acquire the next Adam Henrique? This organization needs to quit mortgaging it’s future for overpaid, declining veterans.
This. Separate the memory of the prime player from current reality. He was never fast, can’t imagine now. The other caveat is any new player has to be suited to how they want to play. You can see it’s an adjustment for Frederic. Used to Boston’s more organized grindy system
He’ll be 35 in two months as well
Agree here, no thank you, too old, declining. IF the price wasnt ridiculous, sure but it wont be. Emptying some of the best depth Bowman just got for an old, slow declining player would be a shame.
We need some slow guys to play with Freddy
$4.5MM for what ROR still brings is not overpaid, in fact, maybe even the opposite.
I am in no way looking to mortgage the future for ROR $4.5MM is not egregious for a 3C – he’s no longer the 2C he used to be but he’s still a 3C and he can stop-gap Samanski.
Center acquisition cost is going to be very cost prohibitive. I think we need to move Nuge to 3c and find a winger which would be much cheaper
Have to agree with this, especially given the Oilers cap situation.
Maybe move Hyman to LW and play Roslovic on McDavid’s RW when he comes back from injury to allow Nuge to move to 3C.
It would be nice, too, if one of the players currently lighting it up in Bakersfield could take a spot alongside Nuge on the 3rd line. It would give us some depth scoring so we don’t have to dump more picks and prospects at the deadline.
Kiefer Sherwood:
During his time at Miami University (Ohio) and with the San Diego Gulls (AHL), Sherwood was a forward who demonstrated the versatility to play both left wing and center.
In the NHL, he has mostly played on the wing and established a role as a physical, high-energy forward, setting the single-season hits record in the 2024-25 season.
However, his ability to play multiple forward positions has been noted as a valuable asset by his coaches, and he has been “bounced around on different lines” in all situations, which includes filling in at center when needed.”
Non stop motor…hits like a truck.
Would be a great add but he is not worth a first round pick imo, it will be jacked to that likely, he is a 3rd liner, solid for sure. Would I want him here, yes! It would depend on cost though.
Trent Frederic.
Pressbox.
But how will Frederick have long conversations with opposing players in the corner if he is in the pressbox? Who will step up to fill this vital role in his absence?
Mangiapane.
I hope our next game, we win 1-0 against Skinner and the Pens, with Skinner stopping 47 HDSC before a Drai to Hutson goal.
How about both goalies play well, the Oil win but Drai gets his 1000th point on an empty netter? 🙂
That would meet all my criteria as well!
Has Skinner obtained his Visa yet?
Oops nevermind.
I was a fan of Skinner since they moved up in the draft to select him, but I hope the boys light him up. No mercy.
This team has lacked a killer instinct for one metric forever, no time like the present to foster one.
Looking forward to watching Hutson.
Hope he gets some of that elusive second unit PP time. That shot will go in at any level.
One can always hope, but you’ve not been watching KK if you think he’ll get time on PP2 (besides the fact that PP rarely even gets ice time).
What are the chances Hutson gets a chance in the top 9 as opposed to taking Jones’ spot on the 4th line?
He could slot in with Janmark & Henrique on the third line.
I would foresee.
Nuge-McDavid-Hyman
Podz-Leo-Savoie
Janmark-Henrique-Hutson
Mangiapane-Lazar-Freddy
He COULD but would he?
I’ve been suggested Jarventie or Hutson could play on a Henrique or Nuge led third line but do we think Knob will just play him with Lazar?
I’m going to say Yes. And why wouldn’t he? Looks to me like a sensible bottom six combo. If I don’t say so myself.
because of Knob’s history – see start of this season.
With Hutson coming up do the oil need to move some one out ?
Nope – Walman on LTIR created tons of cap room and tons of guys on regular IR creating roster spots.
I’m with you on this one LT. Im sure this last 3 -4 days has been very tumultuous in that dressing room .This game was to be expected once the adrenaline wore off. Maybe more unsettling for them was the unexpected loss of Kulak but add that to the new players coming in and it must be difficult to stay focussed on the task at hand. Hopefully they will find their footing again by Tuesday might
Both Skinner and Kulak have completed immigration and been added to the active roster.
So Hutson gets the recall. Hopefully he at least gets on the 3rd line with Henrique and not the 4th line. I seriously doubt he gets top 6 . Be interesting to see if Knobby blenders the top 6 after last night. If so. Maybe he does move up , but who knows .
Good news. Was anyone sent down or was there room on the roster to just bring him up?
Room on the roster with so many players on IR and cap room with Walman on LTIR.
Hopefully but, until I see otherwise, I presume he simply swaps in to Jones’ spot on the 4th line – not a position to succeed.
I’m reminded of an interview Bowman did before the start of the season where he basically said he liked to change out role players to keep things fresh.
I feel this strategy is coming back to bite us.
why did we swap Brown for Mangiapane? Brown has been as impactful a bottom 6er as you can ask for especially in the playoffs and PK. Maybe there was a reason Mangiapane was on the 4th line all last year.
Why did we trade for Frederic last year? Even before he was injured last season he was on pace for ~25 points.
Before that, Arvidsson and Skinner over Foegele (and Holloway) who was an excellent even strength scorer.
Something is broken with this management teams procurement of forwards. It’s almost like they do what fans do and just sort by P/60. I think they are overthinking things in trying to get slightly younger or more cap efficient all the time. If you made the cup finals two years in a row you should maybe value the players that got you there and if you need to overpay them a bit to keep them you should probably just do it. Instead we are left with guys we are paying 3.5M+ to that legitimately don’t do anything of value. We’ve seen it two off seasons in a row now.
I consider Washington a well run team. They had Mangy as a 4 th line player and obviously weren’t interested in resigning him. What was Stan thinking giving him a two year NTC?????? Signing Freddy for 8 years??? Lunacy….
Brown wanted more icetime, and mo’money.
He only got 3M / year. We gave both Frederic and Mangiapane more
Yeah I would rather have Brown over either those two.
Bec he left. Oilers would have had to pay more
Brown was brought in to play in the top 6 and score 20 as he had before
They didn’t need another vanilla small bottom 6 mostly not doing much
When Roslovic gets back he should be stapled to Draisaitls right wing.
I don’t understand the love for Savoie. He is creating almost zero offense and is almost invisible most games.
I hated the Henrique signing which led to the McLeod trade. That trade is looking worse by the minute. Horrible player projection and asset management.
Agreed.
I feel Savoie can play, but he is showing some impacts of being a smaller player, and a rookie.
Like most rookies he needs time. He’s playing well but not scoring means demotion
Howard should be giving the Savoie opportunity but your not suppose to question this are the Sheriif will pay you a visit.
Eff off with that bullshit.
You don’t respond to the substance of ANY post on Howard – you ask the same questions, people respond, you ignore them and respond with the same bullshit.
You have totally mis-represented my position on all things Howard and you should have some respect and stop posting about it.
It appears the Sheriff got up on the wrong side of the rainforest this morning.
🙂
I’m thinking it’s the thin air myself.
Yeah Savoie is not a good finisher. Works hard but not ready for top 6 duty.
I think Savoie will have an NHL career. I’m just don’t see him as an impact player. I haven’t seen any flashes of brilliance, any tool that really stands out. And I don’t think his ceiling is any higher than the level McLeod is at right now. It was a strange deal for a team that supposedly was in “win now” mode.
I am confused by the 7 downvotes. Be nice if those 7 shared why they don’t agree with the post.
For me, Roslovic to 2RW is a no-brainer. Savioe may round into 2nd line player, but the Oilers need to start winning more games.
I agree with you – Roslovic is a better shooter than any other winger on the team full stop. He also does not defer to anyone when he’s given an open look. The ideal deployment for Roslovic is next to the best passer on the team.
For this season, Savoie has established himself as a very useful bottom 6er who has a role on the PK and can fill in the top 6 when there are injuries. When everyone is healthy, he is going to be 1/3 of a very good third line. They just need to find someone to centre that line.
It appears that getting to watch the Leaf game from Cusco was MUCH better than being without service (or power) at this Eco Reserve in the Amazon!
What a place and what an experience but OP likes his online time and the normal luxuries of life – lots of luxuries here but different.
Cusco for tomorrow – excited to watch Jarry vs. his old team – hopefully Stu has his immigration in order – would love that match up.
Howard.McDavid.Hyman
Pods. Draisatl. Savoie
Henrique. Nuge. Roslovic
Mangiapane.Fredrick.Janmark
Kapanen. Lazar. Hutson
It this deep enough and balanced enough for playoffs? I’d rather see a 2Rd acquired, but I wonder if this lineup is too soft to win playoff grind hockey
I wouldn’t change the first line from current. Roslovic is the 2 RW all day long. Third needs some weight – maybe Poulin-Henri-Savoie? Fourth line needs to be shot into the sun.
But otherwise… 🙂
If you keep Nuge at 1 LW. And Roslovic at 2RW. Then how do you piece your 3rd and 4th lines together? Do we go full kids up (Hutson already on recall) and Howard and run a kid line?
Fredrick-Henrique-Savoie
Howard-??Lazar??-Hutson
You don’t touch McDavids line
I think Connor likes playing with Zach & Nuge. But he probably keeps an open mind.
You have to because you need a center on the 3c position and none of the guys you have can play there and the bottom 6 is a mess
Jonathan Willis at Corsi Knight on substack looked into the size thing. Winning teams are getting smaller, the panthers aren’t a big team, the Avs aren’t, they have a few big players but overall not
Height is still a factor on average, but weight seems to be going down slowly. There are always exceptions, which is why guys like Frederic are sought after (I mean fully healthy Frederic), big guys that skate well and have some skill
I would say that it’s because the league is getting faster, heavier players aren’t as quick usually. So that leaves grit. Holland had the Oilers being a pretty vanilla team, with the odd ruffian. The panthers have a couple of thugs they don’t play much, no bullies on D, and the two asshats in their top 6 who duck fights, and the slasher Barkov
Bowman seems to like ability first, but I think will over time make the team more crusty and harder to play against. Which is why he signed Fred and Mangi. Hasn’t been great so far, hopefully things turn around for them
Forgot the biter Brad. Just a dirty small jerk, but effective still
Lordy, we need a Kane or a Perry, something… Decent lineup but very Vanilla.. We a couple gritty, pain in the ace, drag you into the mud players. That is whey Clatt got called up, we need that badly.
Maybe Poulin.
The problem with Oilers bottom six isn’t just that they don’t score, but they don’t do much of anything.
One playoff series that stuck out in my mind for roster construction was Vegas in 2021 playoffs, particularly series against Colorado. Colorado had won the first two games, and Vegas was in trouble.
Vegas had a bottom six that didn’t score a ton, but had a crazy hard forecheck with finishing checks and they pulverized the Avalanche.
Kolesar and Carrier were big, fast, and finished every check.
I think Poulin will be a factor in our playoff run this spring.
Yes. And a healthy Kapanen if he plays like he did for a handful of games last run. Maybe Clatter gets a chance?
I had a hard time understanding why fringe players aren’t extremely aggressive on the forecheck. This is probably the only role they will ever have.
Kappy is very effective when he’s crashing and banging on the forecheck. The only problem this is not substainable Kapanen is very good in a pith hit role but not as a everyday player.
Keep an eye on him for sure.
Your darn tooting move over Willie Dewit here comes the next Great White Hope.
This exactly. They need to be able to create momentum in games that are dull.
Cycle shift , a big hit, shut down the other top line, muck it up, and hopefully score some.
Always playing safe with safe players is risky as it eliminates risk and that’s where rewards come from.
Some safe players are ok, maybe two in the bottom 6. All of Janmark Henri magipanie fredrick lazar are mostly safe players. Fredrick has more but hasn’t shown yet.
They need a legite 3rd line C man if Nuge is playing line #1. Be nice to get one, but who is a toughy. Not really any UFA 3rd line guys around. Definitely need a fast hard hitting middle 6 guy
Great points. This reminds me of the MacT line – “we have a lot of guys that on any given night the best they are going to be is a non-factor.”
If you can’t score – at least hit, forecheck, fight, yap, do something. I think it’s a pro scouting and coaching issue.
This is precisely why I find Frederic so frustrating, he may not be scoring but there are other ways to positively impact shifts but he has the tools to play heavy and aggressive but doesn’t really seem to want to be fully engaged.
It looked like the Oilers came in fat and happy and maybe hung over from their dominant win over Toronto. Montreal came in pissed about blowing multiple leads in NYC.
Montreal had a bit longer travel overnight but they looked like they were the more rested team.
If the PP has scored on the 5 on 3 I think the result might have been closer but I think the Oilers just didn’t have the energy to skate with the Habs and the result would have still been a loss.
The game meant more to the Habs considering they were upset about losing to Edmonton in Edmonton. They felt they deserved a better fate. Then of course letting the Rangers come back and beat them the previous night. They were simmering.
LT has them 5-1-2. Looking at the schedule I hope they don’t get skunked on the roadie
When Jack is back move Nuge to 3C and Henry to 4C. Hutson and Jarvente 3 rd line wingers, Mangy and Lazar 4 th line wingers. Rotate bottom 6 as required.
Can we put Lazar at 4C? Henri is too slow for C at this point
Sure move Lazar to C and Henry to wing. Maybe it’s time to sit Henry once in a while as well. Also wouldn’t be against Clatt as 4 th line winger. Team has few options for physicality. Freddy was supposed to bring that but it has not been consistent from him.
Lazar is the 4c unless they wany to try Philp out there again. I could see ( Rico-Philp-Lazar) all together on the fourth line.
Send Mangy to Bakersfield, send Henrique to Switzerland.
Magpie needs some press box
So does Frederic. Almost 7 million of players signed this summer sitting in the pressbox. Yuck.
The Oilers are morphing and growing right in front of us.
Two big centers and some solid veterans are keeping the team afloat.
Jarry – morph
Stastney – morph
Roslovich – growth to Oilers
Poddy – growth this season
Savoie – growth
Regula – growth
Emberson – growth
Howard – growth
We know the list of players who had been given minutes but were unable to make a difference so far. Veterans like Frederik and newbs like Tomasek. Even trying out Jones once again.
With all this growth taking place, while others not contributing, it would be time to keep solid centers in place like Henrique and try to grow a few more players on the wing. The line up for try-outs is getting long in Bakersfield.
Come play-offs the Oilers will hopefully have rested veterans to choose, or energetic youth who have played some games.
Should have included Clattenburg under growth. Which he did, and learned he is going have to work on his hockey. However, the call up certainly showed us that management also believes they need more grit in the line up.
Under 1 point per hour is below replacement level offense.
| Player | Pos | Goals/60 | 1st Assists/60 | Points/60 |
|———————|—–|———-|—————|———–|
| Trent Frederic | C | 0.32 | 0.16 | 0.49 |
| Matt Savoie | C | 0.30 | 0.00 | 0.76 |
| Adam Henrique | C | 0.16 | 0.62 | 0.78 |
| Curtis Lazar | C | 0.81 | 0.00 | 0.81 |
| David Tomasek | R | 0.92 | 0.00 | 0.92 |
| Andrew Mangiapane | L | 0.42 | 0.42 | 1.13 |
| Isaac Howard | L | 0.79 | 0.39 | 1.18 |
| Mattias Janmark | C | 0.32 | 0.32 | 1.27 |
| Noah Philp | C | 0.85 | 0.00 | 1.28 |
Other teams have guys at this level too. Here is Dallas:
| Player | Pos | Goals/60 | 1st Assists/60 | Points/60 |
|———————|—–|———-|—————|———–|
| Matt Duchene | C | 0.00 | 0.58 | 0.58 |
| Sam Steel | C | 0.41 | 0.27 | 0.96 |
| Oskar Bäck | C | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.98 |
| Nathan Bastian | R | 1.16 | 0.00 | 1.16 |
| Colin Blackwell | C | 0.40 | 0.40 | 1.19 |
| Mavrik Bourque | C | 0.60 | 0.30 | 1.19 |
| Justin Hryckowian | C | 0.35 | 0.53 | 1.23 |
| Adam Erne | L | 0.89 | 0.00 | 1.34 |
Colorado has a pretty clean sheet:
| Player | Pos | Goals/60 | 1st Assists/60 | Points/60 |
|——————-|—–|———-|—————|———–|
| Joel Kiviranta | L | 0.48 | 0.00 | 0.95 |
| Jack Drury | C | 0.46 | 0.61 | 1.23 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | L | 0.60 | 0.30 | 1.35 |
Vegas.
| Player | Pos | Goals/60 | 1st Assists/60 | Points/60 |
|——————-|—–|———-|—————|———–|
| Colton Sissons | C | 0.23 | 0.00 | 0.46 |
| Brandon Saad | L | 0.17 | 0.51 | 0.68 |
| William Karlsson | C | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.73 |
| Reilly Smith | R | 0.19 | 0.37 | 0.74 |
| Keegan Kolesar | R | 0.00 | 0.58 | 0.77 |
| Cole Reinhardt | L | 0.28 | 0.56 | 1.11 |
| Tomas Hertl | C | 0.44 | 0.30 | 1.18 |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | R | 0.59 | 0.59 | 1.19 |
| Brett Howden | C | 0.88 | 0.18 | 1.41 |
I would have guessed that Oilers top players vampire a lot of minutes and points; but then would expect the same from Colorado, which doesnt seem to be the case.
Bowman made a colossal mistake with Frederic and Mangiapane.
Those were huge cap dollars for bottom six players, particularly ones that don’t help. I’m not sure what the solution here is.
Duchene suffered a concussion very early in the season and was eventually pulled from the lineup after 4 games played.
He only returned to action December 7th and was being eased in on the 4th line.
Why do people make shit up?
In that December 7th game, he was 7th in TOI for forwards at 5 on 5 and, in the next game, he was 2nd…….
HH never let the facts get in the way of a good gaslighting.
As a second line centre, Duchene normally averages more than 17 minutes/game.
This season he has averaged 14:57 which is 4th among Dallas centres.
Why do people make shit up when they don’t know what they’re talking about?
Yes, they “eased him in on the 4th line” with the second most TOI among forwards in his second game.
Good Grief.
More importantly, who cares about what HH posts. 20 opposition players were listed and HH pee’d himself rushing to post trying to justify why 1 of those 20 shouldn’t be on the list.
I’ll give a little credit to that guy that was netminding for the Habs last night, but it’s not like he stole the game. I think your adrenaline crash idea may be as valid as any, still, that doesn’t explain why the coach doesn’t use his other players more, especially in a game like last night’s. I know Chiarelli’s answer was “Pickard is staying with the team”, but seriously, how long do you think that’s going to last for?
Not long. GM’s lie like sidewalks.
You can’t bullshit a billshitter.
It would sure be something if Leon registered his 1000 point against Skinner. We need to win the next 2 as we end the road trip against the surging Wild.
Not many Goalies were winning that game if you can’t score on a 2 minute 5 on 3 your not winning. That was the game and of course the PP was trying to psss it in instead of shooting.
Pickard did his best to keep them in this one. The team in front of him was doing their best to give it away. Which is shocking to me considering they stood up for Picks to stick around. Strange team.
On B2B is when you need to play and trust your bottom 6 especially after the emotion homecoming for several players the night before. The play that sunk us was a tired looking play by McDavid. Holy moly could you imagine the shit slinging and piling on by a few posters if that was Clattenburg. Why won’t K.K give his bottom 6 some sort of identity and put them in meaningful spots instead of Leon-Connor every fricking time. Watch the Av’s bottom 6 they’re not packed with household names yet the coach is playing the line-up accordingly especially on 3 games in 4 night or on B2B. Watch MacKinnion minutes be scaled back quite significantly.
Wow – did you just guess that about the Avs because its not even one iota true.
Take a look at the TOI/G for forwards – the Oilers 11-15 play a TON more than the Avs guys.
Colorado:
3rd line – Olofsson 13:39 – Drury 15:01 – Colton 13:23
Edmonton:
3rd line – Janmark 12:32 – Henrique – 14:19 – Mangiapane – 14:02 (top 6 inflated)
The Oilers do NOT play a TON more than Avalanche bottom 6 players.
It appears Reja IS one iota closer to the truth.
Take a look beyond just the third line – he said BOTTOM SIX.
COL:
4th line – Joel Kirivanta 9:50 – Parker Kelly 11:58 – Gavin Brindley 9:57
EDM
4th line – Noah Philp 10:02 – Curtis Lazar 9:38 – David Tomasek 10:46
It’s very difficult to identify the Oilers 4th line since those minutes are often going to players who have been tried and failed higher in the lineup (bumping their minutes) while Colorado’s lineup is much more stable with depth players having clearly defined roles.
But in any event, the Oilers 11 to 15 Oilers demonstrably DO NOT play a TON MORE than Avalanche players as you claimed.
Reja is several iotas more accurate in his assessment.
I said on back to backs and 3 games in 4 nights only.
Last night the Oilers looked old and slow, demote the NTC’s, bench the NMC’s until all accept their time is done and move along.
Really impressed with Dobes, Montreal has a guy there.
Montreal is young & fast & it showed. TML’S looked old & slow last night. Oilers showed a lack of respect for their goalie last night. Unless it was just as LT said, just all adrenaline the night before. But for me that’s another excuse and they’re running out of excuses.
COT
Bakersfield traded Rem Pitlick to Rockford for an ECHL d man Tyson Feist.
Not very much on the webs about him, other than he fought Matt Rempe, and didn’t get too badly worked
When players that previously had some offense can’t piss a drop, are considered cooked around here, but seem to recover when on another team, I’m looking at the coaches
The GM technically promotes or demotes, but Bomwan said it’s collaborative, I think it is for most teams. This team has a lot of good players, figure it out Kris
Yes these guys all know how to play coaching is huge the system-identity-match-ups. As a player what does my coach want from me so that I can keep my job. Coaches have the ability to make or break a man’s career
Some just don’t have the feels at the NHL level, at least on a big enough level. Knoblauch is pretty green, most of the best coaches have a lot of years under their belts. Carbery is an exception
Who exactly is K.K getting the most of? Frederic-Mangiapane-Savoie-Howard-Henrique-Janmark-Philip-Tomasek-Kapanen-Podkolzin-Lazar-Clattenburg-Jones. That is some slim pickings
That’s the job. The other teams aren’t stacked top to bottom, there’s a cap
I was going to make some snarky remark about Jones and his 5:39 of event free hockey last night (sorry, 4 hits), and how it was so much better than Hutson playing against his brother and contributing to the 4th line, but you beat me to it LT. And did it with class and grace.
Yes, I think Tomasek is out the door now, and the time is now to see who on Bako can contribute meaningfully to an elevated scoring level for the bottom 6. Getting Roslovic moves a top 6 down who can help, then adding youth, speed and scoring from the A would be a bonus.
We wait.
A little snippet of Power Wins/Clear Losses since Nov 20. Previously I had used a start date when the early season funk had lifted for a clearer look at how the team actually was, I didn’t set it up that way this time. But I wanted a look as that date for me is the wake up time for this year’s team
Wins 6
Losses 3
Power Wins 5
Clear Losses 2
GF 43
GA 32
Goal Diff 11
I believe it was Connor that said they can’t do anything the easy way. Just stop making constant big mistakes! Every team has a few, but the standard should be it takes an exceptional play to score on the Oilers. 7 out of 9 games at the extremes
I’ll add that as I am recording scores for most of the current top teams, many of them win their back to backs often. Just sayin’
I’ve seen stats that indicated the rested team wins 58% of back to back games but that would need to be adjusted in some way to account for home/road since home teams already win 54% of games.
I would also think that most B2B games are played by teams on extended road trips so the actual impact might be even smaller.
This team is probably going to suck until Leon gets 1000.
So first period tomorrow?
Only if Skinner is in the net.
“Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic need to regress like Frank Sinatra after From Here to Eternity and right soon! That’s the lesson for today.”
I think Henrique is cooked, and there’s no shame in him signing a contract beyond his capabilities… that’s on the Oilers management.
Based on our recent discussion in the comments, I think Frederic has a chance to regress but with a high ankle strain, I don’t think we can reasonably expect his play to improve for quite some time… best case scenario, maybe Frederic can skate a little faster in time for playoffs, but I’m conservatively assuming that he’s going to be a passenger (at best) or boat anchor for virtually all of the regular season. But since his skating seems poor and it’s likely due to a lingering injury, I don’t get why the Oilers couldn’t move Frederic to LTIR to open up some flexibility to shore up the regular season team in the meantime.
I just don’t see Frederik being able to contribute in a meaningful manner. He isn’t quick, aggressive, smart (in the sense of making subtle plays), or playing tough. At least Brown would hustle when coming back from ACL and in his historic drought a few seasons back.
I felt the same way you did until about a week ago, when Lowetide asserted that he’s seen what Frederic can bring and that it was what the Oilers need. I trust Lowetide… he’s not sensationalistic or hyperbolic, which earns our trust.
After some back-and-forth, there were a few posters pointing out that Frederic is slower than usual, likely a residual effect of the high ankle strain… not only would this slow him down but maybe he’s playing tentatively (unaggressively) because he doesn’t want to re-aggravate his already injured leg?
For what it’s worth, Frederic seemed more effectively on Saturday against a slow Maple Leafs team, but terrible against a faster Habs team. So that tracks.
I think when his ankle is fully healed, he has a strong potential to become a useful player. But with high ankle sprains taking so long to recover from, I’m assuming he won’t get anywhere close to consistently useful until maybe playoffs. Oilers should pressbox or LTIR him ASAP in the meantime.
We can all hope!
The interwebs say he should be healed at this point, Strudwick said once that it took him ages to get back to normal. I think when some others get healthy they should LTIR him and focus on more treatment, and see if it improves things. Even mobility and strength training might help
Frederic re-injured the ankle and that was in the spring. I don’t think that helps anyone’s mood, but do think there’s another gear.
I forgot about that, it could have messed things up. I’m willing to wait on him, they need more players with some jam, not less. Rehab the man
I think that info helps my mood… it’s better to believe Frederic is injured and can’t play any better, vs. “he signed a $30M contact and doesn’t care on the ice”.
We’ve all seen players with much more grave injuries be less of a boat anchor than Frederic. If he is really injured, then he should seek proper treatment; if playing through the injury last spring aggravated the problem, and it’s not completely healed … then why is he still playing? Rest and rehab would be prescribed for a lingering MSK-related injury – he should be on LTIR until his injury is completely healed, if it is limiting his ability to perform to such an extreme degree.
I appreciate that you’ve seen him good in the past LT … but game after game the evidence is mounting that what we’ve seen of Frederic is the player that he is now … a vanilla Coke machine, who has permanently lost a step, and is no longer an NHL calibre player. He brings nothing to the table – no scoring, terrible hockey sense, no physicality, not even a smelly glove, or dirty crosscheck after the whistle blows. He just looks completely checked out.
Because he is was just signed to a long-term deal with a NMC, he is getting way more rope than his performance deserves.
Agree. If they play this angle, its in the best interest to all, the player would not become withdrawn or disinterested and stay motivated.
Agreed… I think this is an 8 year investment and the first year doesn’t look like its going to pan out. Throw everything and the kitchen sink at getting Frederic ready for playoffs… physio, sports training, yoga / chiro proactively to help avoid future injuries, etc. World class treatment doesn’t count against the cap.
All those stiches on his face must be weighing him down.
It’s better for the stitches to weigh him down than his giant contract 🙂
— on paper that was such a winnable game given Montreals recent schedule (although both teams on B2B travel between games albeit MTL to home)
— it didn’t matter who the goalie was in either game : team play dictated. Although it’s always hard for a back-up to play once in 10 days and have to stop what 4 break aways …
Do we have the cap space to sit Freddy, Henri and/or Mangi? I would sit them all for a few games and see if we can cobble a line of Condors. Can’t be any worse. Could throw Janmark on the list as well.
Admittedly, Henri is winning draws and making the occasional play. But the others are dreadful right now.
Considering the good work Bowman is doing in other areas, the bottom six is an absolute trainwreck.
If the top 4 forwards are off we are screwed. Need to operate on the bottom 6 with a sledgehammer. Henrique, Tomasek Janmark,Mangi all need to go. Frederick needs to sit in the pressbox.
The internet is telling me that Henrique and Frederic both have full NMC’s, and Mangiapane has a NTC. So I guess you could put Henrique and Frederic in the pressbox, and send Mangiapane down to the AHL.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Henrique – NMC
Mangiapane – NTC
Janmark – 10 team no trade
Janmark could be demoted to the AHL any minimal cost.
Sure, but as rangers showed last year. There’s ways around a NMC. Sit a player for 10 games. They get antsy real quick.
And we all remember the successful season the rangers had last year
That can have serious ripple effects in a dressing room.
You have to remember these players are buddies and fellow union members.
This is not quite accurate.
They waited until Trouba’s NMC turned in to a NTC and told him to accept a trade or he’d get waived and would lose all control.
I agree with this. I still believe in Fredrick but it’s getting lonely.
I don’t know what gymnastics it would take but it’d be interesting to see what the whole line from the condors would do in a few games. Can’t be worse than the nothing mag/ Henri/ Jan do. Could it?